Written answers

Tuesday, 7 November 2017

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Ministerial Advisers

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1334. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the names of the special advisers employed in his Department; the names of special advisers to junior Ministers in his Department; the annual salary of each adviser; if these persons were special advisers immediately prior to taking up their current role or immediately prior to the June 2017 Cabinet reshuffle; if so, the Minister to which they were appointed to; the date each special adviser was appointed with effect as stated in the Government order; the date of the Government order; if they received a salary for the period before the appointment order was signed in the case of special advisers whose appointment order date has an effect date earlier than the order date; if so, by whom they were paid; if a special adviser during a period later backdated by appointment order had access to confidential material and or Cabinet papers; if they were subject to the Official Secrets Act 1963 during this period; if any persons currently employed as special advisers have not yet been appointed by order since the Cabinet reshuffle of 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46471/17]

Photo of Eoghan MurphyEoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Two Special Advisers, Mr. Jack O'Donnell and Ms. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, are employed in my Department.  Both are paid by my Department on the Principal Officer (Standard) PPC pay scale (€81,767 - €100,333).  There are no Special Advisers employed in respect of the Ministers of State in my Department.

Immediately prior to the formation of the current Government in June 2017, Mr. O'Donnell was employed as Deputy Government Press Officer.  Ms. Caroll MacNeill has previously worked as a Special Adviser in the Departments of Children and Youth Affairs and Justice and Equality but was not working in a Government Department immediately prior to the June 2017 Government formation.

Mr. O'Donnell was appointed with effect from 14 June 2017.  The Government Order appointing Mr. O'Donnell, the Appointment of Special Adviser (Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government) Order 2017, was made on 26 July 2017.  Mr. O'Donnell was paid from the date of his appointment. 

Ms. MacNeill was appointed with effect from 6 November 2017 and a Government Order in relation to her appointment will be drafted in the coming weeks.  She will also be paid from the date of her appointment.

Both Mr. O'Donnell and Ms. Carroll MacNeill have full access to Departmental material and Cabinet papers, as appropriate, and have been subject to the Official Secrets Act in respect of their current roles since the dates of their appointment.

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